Phytochemical Characterization and in Vivo Toxicological, Antioxidant and Hepatoprotective Assessment of Artemisia campestris L. Aerial Parts

Abstract

The objective of this study is to evaluate the cytoptotective effects against hepatotoxicity of the aqueous extract of the aerial parts of Artemisia campestris L.(AEAPAC) after qualitative phytochemical assessment. Silymarin at a dose of 50 mg/kg/day and AEAPAC at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg/day were orally administrated to male Wistar rats during 14 days. On day 14, hepatotoxicity was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of CCl₄ (3 ml/kg, 12% in sunflower oil). Blood samples and liver tissues were collected for biochemical, oxidative stress and histopathological examination. A comparative analysis was conducted using a positive control group with hepatotoxicity and a negative control group without hepatotoxicity. The AEAPAC phytochemical screening, revealed the presence of various bioactive compounds. In rats pre-treated with graded oral doses of the AEAPAC, biochemical and oxidative stress parameters results showed a significant decrease (p < 0.01) in serum levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TB), and malondialdehyde (MDA), along with a significant increase (p < 0.01) in reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) levels. Histopathological examination revealed a significant reduction in lesions in the groups pre-treated daily with increasing oral doses of AEAPAC. These results are similar to those obtained in rats pre-treated with silymarin. It can be inferred that the AEAPAC exhibits an in vivo antioxidant activity and hepatoprotective effects against CCL₄-induced liver damage, which could be attributed to its rich composition of bioactive molecules. It would be interesting to conduct further tests in the use of AEAPAC as a pre-treatment for hepatotoxicity.